Die This Year and Save Your Kids a Few Bucks

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Californians, if you feel like you're being nickeled and dimed to death, well, you sort of are.

State and local governments need revenues. And California's peculiar governing system makes raising revenues difficult. So when a fee is ripe for the raising, it's likely to be raised.

So it was last week, when the legislature voted to raise fees to obtain birth certificates and, yes, death certificates. The increase? A mere $6.

According to the Sacramento Bee, most counties currently charge $12 for a certified death record and $16 for a certified birth certificate. So this increase won't break the bank, but every little bit hurts. And yes, Republicans voted against this.

The legislation is now in Gov. Jerry Brown's hands. He has until early October to decide whether to sign. And if he does, you have until the end of the year to die if you want to save your heirs the extra $6. The fee would go into effect in January 2012.